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MSRP $89.98
RATED NR
STUDIO BBC Worldwide
RUNNING TIME 585 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES
• 5 Night and the Doctor specially recorded scenes exclusive to DVD and Blu-ray
• 5 specially recorded episode prequels
• 2 sketches recorded for the UK’s Comic Relief charity event
• 4 Monster Files – Get under the skin and inside the minds of the Doctor’s most challenging opponents
• Doctor Who Confidential – An inside look at each episode
• Bonus Doctor Who Confidential – “A Night’s Tale” about the exclusive DVD scenes
• Audio Commentary on select episodes
• BBC1 Trails
The Pitch
High def, timey-wimey goodness with the Doctor.
The Humans
Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Alex Kingston, Stuart Milligan, Suranne Jones, James Corden
“I’d love to show you around a bit, but I’m afraid this planet is quite literally a dump.”
The Nutshell
The Doctor (Matt Smith) and his two faithful companions (Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill) continue their adventures through time and space on a quest to discover the mystery behind The Doctor’s death.
The Lowdown
I’d always been somewhat of a wannabe Doctor Who fan. I loved the concept, loved the characters that I had seen clips of, and took every opportunity I could to chime in with my friends about how cool the show was even though I had never sat through a single episode. Eventually a friend of mine caught on to my ruse and insisted I watched the episode “Blink” After sitting through almost 45 minutes of television bliss, I knew I needed more. I was about ready to start with series 6 when the opportunity to review it for CHUD appeared before me. Obviously, I took the gig.
The Doctor for President? Hell yes.
While I have to admit that the convoluted, time-bending nature of the show isn’t for everyone, those that find themselves wrapped up in the Doctors world (worlds?) will be happy to know that series six continues to uphold the level of quality that the previous seasons have led us to expect. With enough twists and turns to keep viewers guessing through the entire season, Steven Moffat has again proved that he is a master of balancing multiple time-lines and stories, guiding them towards a satisfying conclusion despite all the chaos.
The set starts off with A Christmas Carol, the Christmas special from the previous year. It’s strange starting with an episode that has no real connection with the overarching plot that follows, and this is the first time I can recall this new stretch of Dr. Who not continuing directly from the previous episodes. However, despite the fact that its inclusion is rather random, its a welcome bonus feature of sorts, as the episode is quite enjoyable if not overly predictable. Moffat manages to do some things with the traditional Christmas Carol story that I didn’t expect, but overall its the same story we’ve seen dozens of times before, only this time starring the Doctor.
Once the series actually begins, things escalate rather quickly, and rarely let up until the series conclusion. Amy and Rory are separated from the Doctor, and when they finally find him he’s killed by a man in a space suit. Of course, they team up with a younger Doctor in order to prevent the older Doctor’s eventual death. The only catch is that they can’t tell the younger Doctor of his fate, or else they’d be risking a time paradox.
Don’t worry, she won’t remember any of this.
If you found that confusing, that’s because it was just as hard to summarize as it was to read. But regardless of how convoluted the show manages to get, Moffat and crew find a way to make it accessible and entertaining the whole way through. The show stays on track for almost the entire season, with episodes that may seem like filler actually coming back and becoming relevant to the plot when you least expect it. Sure, there are filler episodes that aren’t nearly as good as the main plot line, but these two or three missteps aren’t enough to ruin the set. When a series takes creatures as cool as the Weeping Angels and offers up slight alternatives that are as cool and creative as “The Silents”, I can’t say much bad about it.
Matt Smith has solidified himself as my favorite Doctor, a position that I never expected to be taken from Tennant. His sense of wonder and childhood fantasy never stop, and he always seems to be having a blast in the role, even when things go bad. Episodes like “Let’s Kill Hitler” demonstrate Smith’s significant acting chops and show that he should have a significant career boost once his stint as the Doctor is over.
Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill are also wonderful as the Doctors companions, Amy and Rory. Their marriage gets stronger as the series progresses, and the conflict between the Doctor and Rory to protect Amy provides a nice bit of tension to the relationship. “The Girl Who Waited” is a particularly strong episodes that focuses on these two and the troubles they may face in the future regarding time.
Doctor Who jumps the shark? No, the shark jumps The Doctor. Witty, no?
The only bad thing I can say about this season is that the episode “The Curse of the Black Spot” just didn’t do it for me like the others. A high seas Doctor Who episodes sounds like the best thing ever, but the execution leaves much to be desired. I understand that a lot of what happens is meant to throw off viewers regarding the overarching plot, but it just makes things more convoluted than they need to be, and the ending is just contrived and out of place.
Overall, series six is another fantastic set of Doctor Who episodes. The writing continues to improve, the set design and budget for the series continues to grow, and the whole affair feels more epic than ever before. If you haven’t jumped onto the Doctor Who bandwagon yet, this is a fantastic place to start. Just prepare yourself for a lot of timey-wimey, spacey-wacey problems that are way too complicated to explain.
The Package
Doctor Who series six looks fantastic on blu-ray, with a transfer that would make most big budget films jealous. This truly doesn’t look like a television show anymore, and I mean that in the best possible way. The sound design is also above average, and this disc could easily be used to show off a high end audio system.
Series Six was accompanied by internet-only prequels while it aired on TV, and all of those are included in the set. Doctor Who Confidential gives you a behind the scenes look at the show and how episodes were made, and is surprisingly in depth for a television related special features. Rounding out the set are some fantastic audio commentaries that are must-listens for any fans of the show.
Rating: 
Out of a Possible 5 Stars